Dolphins and whales are so intelligent they should be declared "non-human persons" and protected by a bill of rights, an international scientific conference in Vancouver heard on the weekend.

Researchers from Emory University (Georgia), Loyola Marymount University (California) and a U.K. conservation group spoke Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Cetaceans — dolphins, porpoises and whales — are "far more intellectually and emotionally sophisticated than previously thought," they said. And there is a growing body of evidence that the animals have "a similar level of intelligence, self-awareness and sensitivity to our own."

They presented a Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans, as agreed by the Helsinki Group — academics from several countries, including Canada.

No. 1: "Every individual cetacean has the right to life." And No. 7: "The rights, freedoms and norms set forth in this declaration should be protected under international and domestic law."

The group wants policy to catch up with science and outlaw all exploitation of these animals — everything from whaling to marine parks.

The animals' sophistication supports the claim they are "non-human persons" and should be seen as "beyond use" by humans and have "moral standing" as individuals, said Thomas White of Loyola Marymount. "It is, therefore, ethically indefensible to kill, injure or keep these beings captive for human purposes."